a bleeding purple utah jazz blog

Locker Room Cleanout: 2 of (probably 3)

Al Jefferson** [What’s the best thing you made Enes do this year?] I made him do…how many pushups he had to do in that short period of time? I can’t remember. We made him do a lot of pushups on the plane. He did it. We told him if he did it, he’ll get something. I told him he wouldn’t be a rookie no more or something, but we lied. [How many times did you lie to him?] A lot…A lot of the stuff he was doing on his own. He like the attention he was getting.

** [Enes used to just sit there with his phone and didn’t talk to anyone. How different is he now with the guys?] See, I think what we did, when we started [the rookie hazing], he liked the attention ’cause he really wasn’t talking, he’d be on his phone. But once we start messing with him, he like the attention, so he just started doing things to bug us so we could give him that attention. So me and J[amaal] T[insley] decided one day to say nothing to him. He couldn’t take it. He just really couldn’t take the idea that we wouldn’t say nothing to him. ‘Cause we was just trying to see how he would react, and he just couldn’t take it. He just kept messing with us, trying to get us to react. So we just found out that he just really like the attention. He like just being around the guys, and laughing and joking…he was having just as fun as we was.

** Devin quick to get on me. “I need you to do this. I need you to do that. You should’ve done this.” And I can do the same to Devin. He told me at the beginning of the year, “Let me know if I ain’t doing something right, ’cause Imma let you know.” And we was able to do that all year. He’ll get in my grill, and I’ll give you an example. When I shot a bad shot, Tim Duncan beat me down the floor. [Devin] looked at me like, “You gonna let Tim Duncan beat you down the floor? You gon tell me Tim Duncan beat you down the floor and get a dunk?” I was like, “You’re right. My bad.”

** On Santa Barbara: I can’t wait to get back out there….[Favors] and Big Turkey, we already talk about [working out in Santa Barbara]. Everybody excited to go. Derrick got some good work in last year. He enjoyed it. He knew it was hard work, but he came out with a great working attitude. We was just talking about it…we wanna go back out there. And Big Turkey is all psyched up to go out there. He more excited about the beach right now, ’cause he don’t know what he about to get himself into (laughs). He was saying how happy he is to come out, so it’ll be fun.

** On Derrick Favors: When he first got here, he was quiet. Quiet, hardly said much. He kinda like I was my rookie year. When I was a rookie, I didn’t talk at all. I would just listen. My second year, everybody like, “You talk?!” So that’s how he kinda was. He’s a funny dude. He help participate in Big Turkey(‘s hazing), but he just laugh. He love to just see Big Turkey put on a show for us. He’s a good dude. Good, funny dude….What I like about him, he very emotional about the game. I think he get down on himself a little too much sometime, ’cause he just wanna do well. He don’t wanna let down his team.

** More on Favors: Once he just learn how to play the game, it’s gon be trouble. Like I said, I hope I’m his teammate for the rest of my career, ’cause that’s gon be trouble.

** Imma take a couple weeks off and relax. Imma take four weeks off from basketball. Take two weeks off, not doing nothing. I just wanna lay in a bed and…[BTS laughs during this pause while all else is silent]…relax.

I love Big Al’s candor and honesty. It’s so refreshing, and I hope the browbeating he has gotten from certain media members over his San Antonio comments (which did not bother me in the least bit, and which was brought up at locker room cleanout, and which he felt the need to apologize–twice–for) doesn’t change that.

Enes Kanter** This year, I had so much fun with my teammates…and I learned a lot in basketball, just off the court, on the court. They taught me a lot of things. I’m just so happy to be here.** On rookie hazing: First time I said [I didn’t feel like a rookie], I was just joking. I still remember we were on the plane, and they were just making me do things like serve drinks or food and everything, and I just got like, not mad, but upset. I mean, I don’t feel like a rookie. Before that, I didn’t have to do anything. I didn’t even brought one donuts.* I didn’t bring any donuts. From that day til now, they just kill me.* He says it like “donnat.” Adorable.** More on rookie hazing: It was a good thing, ’cause first time I came here, I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t know my teammates or my coaches, so I was kind of shy and quiet. But then after I got to learn them, they were really good guys….and then now I stop talking to them, like, I’m in trouble.

**On Nikola Pekovic: He’s a big, big dude.** [First time I picked up a basketball] was 14 years old. I wasn’t gonna start, and my dad told me to start. My dad always said, “Education, education, education” and I was so tired of it ’cause study everyday, study everyday. And then my dad was like, “All right, you wanna play something?” I was just like, “Yeah, I would love to play basketball.” And that’s when I started to play basketball like that…I’m not lying. You can call [my agent] and ask him.** This year I learn so much thing from Al, I learn so much things from Playoffs, Tim Duncan. Every time when I wasn’t on the court I just watch what other players do. What Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap do.** On the pink rookie backpack: I hate that back[pack]. Probably when I go back home I’m gonna burn that back[pack].

This has nothing to do with locker room cleanout. I just never got around to posting it (from Josh Howard’s charity bowling night):

Accompanying UDQM: “My fingers are too wide, so I couldn’t, you know, fit it inside. So I just tried to do it like that.”

Paul Millsap** [What’d you prove this year?] I proved that I can play a different position. I proved that I can play at the 3 position. I proved that I can be confident in playing it. Other than that, I didn’t prove much, man. I set my goals, and I didn’t really accomplish the goals I set out, so I still got a lot of work to do.** [What were those goals?] Personal goals.** [Most memorable moment of the season?] Response was about last few games of the season, and not Hugging Al that one time. Or that other time.** On playing small forward: I feel like I can play it when I play it. Other than that, I’m a power forward. When my name’s called to play small forward, I get out there and play to the best of my ability, but other than that, I’m a power forward.**I’m hoping to stay here forever. That’s what I’m hoping, but it don’t always happen that way.

Gordon Hayward** Summer league: It’s up to them. If they want me to play, then I’ll be there.** [What do you do for competition during the off-season?] Definitely video games…pickup games…we play Capture the Flag sometimes. Monopoly…ping pong.** [In your first year you might have set an all-time record for frugality…] I think I pulled it off two years in a row.

Alec Burks** On rookie hazing: [Enes Kanter] had a long year. He gon have another long year too the way he was talking. [If the Jazz don’t draft a new rookie…] We gon find a rookie. We find somebody.** On the pink rookie backpack: Imma light it up, Fourth of July.** [Diana Allen: Do you see yourself as a future starter for this team?] I definitely do. I feel like I have the talent, the ability to be a starter right away, so I feel like I will.** [Are you going to challenge Jeremy Evans to a dunk contest next year?] Probably. I probably just go to the 2013 one and win it.